Friday, August 31, 2007

Carnival in August? That's even weirder than carnival after Lent. On Bank Holiday weekend, the last one before Christmas, Caribbean beats resounded throughout the whitewashed Notting Hill neighbourhood. The theme was related to the Abolition bicentennial.

Day 1After the initial disappointment with the Children's Carnival (not worth waiting more than two hours for, as we did), we made our way through the sound systems. So that's where the party is at! People were dancing and having a good time (often with illegal substances wafting through the air). There were very good live performances as well, including the beautiful Ava Leigh. Didn't catch the names of the other artists.

And the jerk chicken at Mr. T's was the best chicken I've had in a long time.

Security was good; bobbies everywhere. There was one thing they didn't think of, though: rubbish disposal. No bins anywhere! When you're expecting a million people, you need more than just a few trash bags.

Day 2More people turned up for the Adults' Carnival. The Paraiso School of Samba started off the parade, and very well at that, with the works: centurions, devils, and all sorts of inexplicable manner of headresses and costumes as wide as the entire street. The 25-minute lag between them and the next group was just too long. Even though the next gaps were shorter, the enthusiasm of the crowd wore thin and it became too boring.

There should be warnings about the sound levels because they can be permanently damaging. Even with my earplugs, I sometimes still cringe because of the heavy bass.

More photos in my Flickr photo set. Also guestblogged at one of my fave travel-on-the-cheap reads, Europe String.

Everyone had an excuse for some to don their dancing shoes and dresses. Interesting characters: a woman in huge pearls and red lipstick, three seniors dancing together, two bald men in sleeveless shirts and art directed beards, a portly skinhead with an earring and a tattoo, a man with only one arm, a pair of old trannies, man couples, the dance teacher and her female partner.The Mayfair quickstep was fun because everyone knew the steps and the music sounded Irish. Ballroom to Shania Twain's "Man I Feel Like A Woman"? Rhumba to Annie Lennox's "No More I Love Yous"? I could only shake my head. The DJ had a queer sense of humor.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

I thought it's only in Pinas where they have many spellings for my nickname.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" the woman hollered at me. "If you want to take photos, ask," she said sternly. Ashamed, I turned off the camera. "But you may," she smiled, her voice softening. I took this shot and thanked her, still embarrassed.

Accompanied the Spanish girls on their souvenir hunting expedition in Covent Garden.

Borough Market is a food lovers' dream. Smoothies, mushrooms, olives, breads and pies, cheeses, meats, and produce, all side by side. I didn't know which brownie Chisom was raving about, but now I know so I promise to buy one next time. I went during lunch hour, so there were City folks lining up for sandwiches.

The sculptures in the courtyard are entitled The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth But Not the Mineral Rights. Witty.

Went in to see the John Madejski Fine Rooms, which are free. The exhibits there are At Home: Portraits of Artists from the Royal Academy Collection, which is essentially Royal Academy artists painting fellow RA artists, and The Body Politic: Anatomical Drawings by Benjamin Robert Haydon, which has a sculpture showing musculature, cast from a dead prisoner's dissected body. Haydon was "the most controversial artist of his day" and "committed suicide on 22nd June 1846 in front of an unfinished canvas".

Monday, August 27, 2007

There are 16 new Erasmus Mundus students from the Philippines this coming academic year (I think there were more of us last year). If you're considering getting your Master's, consider Europe. Check out the list of programs available here. Spread the word!

The European Commission on Wednesday announced that 16 students from the Philippines have been chosen to receive Erasmus Mundus scholarships for the academic year 2007-2008.

Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, head of delegation of the European Commission in Manila, who hosted a reception for returning and departing Erasmus Mundus students today, said the 16 students are among the 1,825 students worldwide who availed of the scholarship for the upcoming academic year.

He said that the Erasmus Mundus programme offers a splendid opportunity for Filipinos to pursue high-level studies in the European Union.

The ambassador also noted that a total of 63 Filipinos have so far benefited from scholarships under the Erasmus Mundus programme, beginning with the academic year 2004-05.

"Like their predecessors, these sixteen new awardees will be able to earn their Masters degrees in Europe, and be ambassadors of goodwill between the Philippines and the European Union," he said.

The selected students will study in Europe for one or two years to obtain a European masters' degree and they will follow their courses in at least two higher education institutions from two different countries in the EU, giving them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with European society, culture and languages.

"The Erasmus Mundus programme promotes the EU as a centre of excellence in learning, and serves as the external wing of the Erasmus programme, which promotes student mobility within the European Union," McDonald explained.

The program provides EU-funded scholarships for third-country nationals participating in Erasmus Masters Courses as well as giving scholarships for EU citizens studying at partner universities throughout the world.

It will have a budget of about 190 million euros per year for the coming five years, 90 percent of which goes into scholarships.

These scholarships are open to third-country nationals of high academic qualifications whose enrolment in an Erasmus Masters Course has been accepted by the University Consortium offering the Course. (PNA)

It's not obvious that I've been reading quite a bit since I arrived in London (courtesy of two new library cards). Of the books I've gone through these past weeks, probably the only one that will be familiar to you would be Deathly Hallows.

My only reactions:1. Good for you, Alan Rickman. Did you know all that when you said yes?2. Thanks, Jo.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Admission is free on Mondays from 10am to 2pm. The building itself is worth a visit, with the beautiful ceilings and fireplaces.

Favorite pieces: Rubens' portrait of Jan Bruegel's family and Seurat's portrait of his mistress powdering herself. Other notable paintings (for me): Van Gogh's self-portrait with bandaged ear, Gainsborough's portrait of his wife and Degas' Two Dancers on the Stage, which is printed on my bag, though very different in color.

A good collection of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists among the bequests, including a number of Gauguins and Cezannes. There are also several small Tiepolos and Kandinskys, and a large Goya and Botticelli. The exhibit of Lucas Cranach's Adam and Eve shows the delicacy of the almost tapestry-like 16th century work.

A lesson in journalistic responsibility, dignity of labor and simply, respect.

While it is tempting to do a recap from a cultural studies point of view, enough has been written about this, so I will hold my tongue, pen and keyboard. Regardless, this scandal, if you want to call it that, is still worth mentioning because it concerns OFWs and, should I say, class relations. For updates, or even the entire story, scroll from the bottom up at Pinoyblogosphere and make your way through the entire array of reactions.

One last thing: fight insults with reason, not with more insults. Karma or no karma, we have to be more mature than that.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Who says only the pros can create art at South Bank? Graffiti artists and skater boys rule part of the underside of Waterloo Bridge.

The Press Photographers' Year 2006: in pictures at the National Theatre had depressing war photos balanced by some humorous ones. A Pinoy made it to one photo: Danila Alipon of the national sepak takraw team was caught in mid-air playing againes a Korean player during the Asian games.

A number of exhibits at the British Film Institute: Cut, Fabric and Design showcasing the work of costume designer Shirley Russell; Lynette Wallworth's interactive Hold:Vessel 2, where you take a glass bowl and "'catch' falling projected images of astronomical and underwater life"; and Thomson and Craighead's BEACON, which shows random as-it-happens web searches every minute.

The most striking display was Antony Gormley's standing man sculptures (modelled after himself) in the street and on top of different buildings. This was part of his exhibit at the Hayward Gallery. I counted 19, but there are 31 in all.

Tocar Y Luchar is a documentary film about the children's and youth orchestra system in Venezuela. I was teary-eyed half the time I was watching it at the Royal Geographical Society. Can we get Filipino philanthropists to support a program like this back home? Trailer here.

I heard the Proms encore of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela conducted by Dudamel via BBC Radio 3 online. "Totally spectacular," according to the commentator.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

A free performance at Watch This Space outside National Theatre. The show is based on interviews with older people about the dance hall era. The Brighton-based troupe delivered less dance, more theatre--light entertainment perfect for a cloudy afternoon. The Charleston Chasers were supposed to play music of the 20s and 30s, but it rained. At least I caught them rehearsing and that was fun enough.